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[OldTimer]

Davis to make return for UNT tonight

Jones, players expect senior to fit with new rotation

11:45 PM CST on Wednesday, December 27, 2006

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

When North Texas first lost Kendrick Davis to injury a little more than a month ago, it had all the makings of a disaster for the Mean Green.

Davis was UNT's leading scorer, not to mention a senior leader, when he injured his wrist while breaking a window in a hallway door of the Super Pit following a loss to UT-Arlington.

What happened in the nine games since has been perhaps the biggest surprise of the Mean Green's season thus far. UNT not only has survived, it has thrived.

Senior guard Rich Young moved into the starting lineup and took up the slack defensively; junior guard Michael Sturns increased his scoring output off the bench, and senior guard Calvin Watson became the focal point of the Mean Green's offense.

The result was a 7-2 run that has UNT on the verge of a milestone entering a game tonight against Belhaven (7-4) at the Super Pit that will also mark Davis' return to the lineup. The Mean Green (9-3) can pick up its 10th win in just 13 games, a feat the team has not managed since the 1976-77 season.

"Any time you have a little adversity and your guys rise to the occasion and play through it, it speaks volumes about your team," UNT head coach Johnny Jones said. "The guys had to make a decision. They were either going to feel sorry for themselves and just try to get through or they were going to try to take advantage of the situation. … They rose to the occasion."

UNT beat Rice and Tulsa in non-conference play without Davis and then stunned Western Kentucky in a Sun Belt game at Diddle Arena last week. The Mean Green had lost all seven of its games against the Hilltoppers before breaking though.

The Mean Green's surge without Davis can be attributed in large part to the trio of backcourt players who increased their production the last few weeks.

Watson and Sturns are averaging 6.1 and 5.1 more points a game respectively since Davis left the lineup. Young's scoring average has remained relatively steady at 7.3 points a game, but he has played an average of 14.9 more minutes a game and has provided a defensive presence.

"We have a lot of guys who are capable, and coach kept us calm," Watson said. "It was good for us as a team because a lot of guys gained confidence and found out they could do more than they thought they could."

Sturns scored 24 points in UNT's win over WKU, while Young posted one of his more complete games of the season in a loss to New Orleans with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The challenge UNT faces now is finding a way to keep each of those players involved while also giving Davis a chance to regain the form that made him a first-team preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection.

Davis was averaging 18.7 points in 29.7 minutes a game when he injured his wrist and underwent surgery to repair a partially torn tendon.

"Everyone will be happy when we win games," Jones said. "It's not about what guys are averaging in terms of points. What's important is how we are playing as a team and if we are winning games. We are going to guard against guys being selfish."

Davis doesn't believe he will have any trouble fitting back in with the Mean Green and will ease his way back into the rotation while working with a wrist that is still sore at times.

"We will fit back together well," Davis said. "We are not worried about minutes and shots. We are just worried about winning games."

Belhaven does not appear as if it will present quite as big a challenge as WKU did in the Mean Green's last game. The Blazers play in NAIA Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

UNT could be without sophomore forward Harold Stewart, who is attending to off-court issues, while junior forward Keith Wooden will not start due to a violation of team rules.

After watching several other players on UNT's roster fill the void he left, Davis will be ready to make up for lost time and the absence of Stewart.

"I always knew that I loved basketball," Davis said. "I didn't realize how much I loved it until it was gone. I had never been injured before. It was tough for me. I am just glad to be back."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

I am really excited to see what this team can do in our next conference game. Its good they are easing Davis in now and seeing what him (and his wrist) are capable of at this point.